Overview
- U.S. Central Command said a U.S. aircraft fired a Hellfire missile into the engine room of the Botswana‑flagged M/T Lexie, disabling the tanker before it could reach Kharg Island, a move confirmed on Tuesday, June 2.
- CENTCOM counts the Lexie as the sixth commercial vessel disabled and says 122 ships have been redirected since Washington began enforcing a naval blockade on Iranian ports in mid‑April.
- The strikes follow a clear pattern of warnings followed by precision attacks from carrier‑based aircraft that target engines, smokestacks or rudders to disable empty tankers without sinking them.
- Market and maritime effects have been immediate: the interdictions sustain a supply‑risk premium in crude prices and have produced broad shipping delays and safety concerns for crews on disabled or redirected vessels.
- U.S. officials present the campaign as economic pressure to advance talks, and independent assessments warn continued kinetic enforcement could raise legal and geopolitical risks and limit how long pressure alone will force concessions.